I started this book a long time ago. I was not feeling it, so I put it down. When I saw a long time ago, I am talking years. Not that meant to never come back to this book as I read another book by this author, the second one in fact and enjoyed it. I would walk by the book or chance at it from time to time and think, I need to try reading this book again. However my to be read pile grew and grew and I would forget about the book again. I finally picked it up as I was making a committment to attacking my pile and this was one of the books on the pile. After reading this book again and actually finishing it this time, I have to wonder why I did not like it the first time. I blame it on my mood. I must not have been in the right mood at the time I was reading this book.

Kate is a powerhouse. She does not take no for an answer. In fact, she seemed to push harder when she was told no. Her and Ethan's relationship may have been on the rocks but I like that the author did not push them to get back together in the story. She let them have their own space but still find a way for them to communicate. The killer was scary but it was the other story that Kate was chasing that had me really intrigued. I don't want to go into details in case someone else has not read the book but just let me tell you that the thought of it is chilling. ( )

A medico-legal thriller set in the streets of my beloved Halifax. What's not to like? I'm writing a thriller myself so thought I'd explore Callow's style and I liked it. The story runs along swiftly, with complications popping up and danger increasing page by page. Kate Lange is an interesting character, trying to prove herself despite a fairly disastrous childhood. The murders are gruesome, the bad guy suitably creepy, and there's some romantic tension between Kate and pretty well every man she meets. (Wow. Wish I had that power!)A few troubles - the red herring gets raised and waggled around but is confusing and the smell never really goes away. The police seem unusually stupid. I shall refrain from comment about Halifax police..., but I think these guys might have trouble coping here. People are introduced briefly - minor characters - and there are altogether too many to keep track of. The whore with a heart of gold appears. Kate is completely psychologically wrecked, and yet goes off crime-solving. That said, I liked the book. It made me wish I had amber eyes. (Though, like violet eyes, I suspect these are rather rare in reality, but common in romance) It also made me want to finish my novel. Pam Callow is an inspiration - this is her first book and it is extremely well plotted and tight. I want mine to read like this. Thanks Pam. I'm off to read #2. I'm sure I'll like it, a lot. ( )

Kate Lange is a recent hire to her law firm and is given a custody case. She doesn't think there is much of a case and tells the grandmother that she probably wouldn't win custody because her granddaughter's behavior is typical teenager. Unfortunately, the girl is murdered and Kate looks into the case with surprising results. I couldn't put it down. Good read. ( )

I love mysteries and suspense novels, but I did pause a little at site of the 453 pages. That's a lot to read. LOL

Damaged probably deserved 5 stars, but I'm afraid I wasn't as hooked into the story as I might have been. I think I may be getting tired of insecure, damaged heroines. Or maybe I just wasn't in the mood for one. (There was another author I stopped reading because it seemed like during a certain period, every one of his heroines had been sexually abused as a child. I got really tired of that. That was not the case here, but I'm just saying...)

The heroine, Kate, is insecure and seeking to prove herself on her job as a lawyer. She's also trying to distance herself from a prospective fiance, Ethan Drake, because she fears his reaction is he find out about her past.

Enter the bad guy, known as the Body Butcher. He has mudered Lisa, the grandchild of Marian McAdam. Ironically, Marian had approached Kate for advice before Lisa is found. Marian thinks Lisa's mother is negligent.

After laying the groundwork for the novel, the pace is good. Kate has a lot on her plate with her fiance working the Body Butcher case and her own feelings of having let down Marian and indirectly Lisa. Most fans of romantic suspense will truly enjoy this. ( )

Damaged, author Pamela Callow's freshman effort at legal mystery/suspense/conspiracy thriller, started slowly but if you are patient, you will be rewarded by what became a page-turning, perfect summer read. It builds slowly, while painstakingly laying the groundwork on central character Kate Lange, her former fiance, Detective Ethan Drake, Kate's employer, and its partner, Randall Barrett, plus a bevy of supporting characters.

I found the murder mystery and conspiracy aspects of the story to be especially fascinating, having not guessed far ahead of time the connections and the "solution" before Kate (one of the bigger disappointments for me with mysteries/thrillers). I also appreciated the resolution, as it didn't stretch reality to unnatural boundaries and it seemed the natural course by the end of the book.

I liked the character of Kate by the conclusion of Damaged although I was a bit neutral about her throughout much of the early story. I always like a tough, determined character with some humanity and all three traits were in evidence as I flipped that last page. I was particularly pleased to note that Ms. Callow will have a new mystery featuring Kate releasing next year and I hope that we will learn more about Kate on this next venture.

By the same token, I hope that we will receive additional insight into the characters of Ethan Drake and Randall Barrett, who both seemed to be yearning for additional literary time. I felt that both characters still have a wealth of information to share and excellent storyline potential.

I also hope that we will see Kate's neighbors again, the elderly sisters Muriel and Enid, who I found engaging and pleasing. Is it possible that these two have secrets themselves or is it just the conspiracy buff in me at work?

Damaged, considering its subject matter, isn't heavy on the gore or violence, although it may have a few objectionable words. There is no sexual matter, although a brief innuendo, and some mentioned drug use.

In all, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Damaged to fans of the mystery, thriller and/or legal genre, all of whom are sure to be satisfied by this debut work that packs a powerful little punch. ( )

Wikipedia in English

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Book description

Kate Lange is a new attorney with one of the top law firms in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She's frustrated at receiving a steady diet of family law cases, but a routine consultation with Marian MacAdam, who wants custody of her granddaughter, Lisa, proves considerably more exciting when the teen is found savagely murdered. Callow throws in standard complications: Lisa's mother is an influential judge, and the assigned detective is Kate's ex-fiancé. Kate advised Marian not to seek custody and ignored her own instinctive urge to call Child Protection Services, believing that bringing a case against a judge would wreck her career; now she worries that her hesitation led to Lisa's death.

Haunted by the death of her sister and wounded by her ex-fiancé's accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm.

When the grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it's just another custody case. But then the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn't only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl's death.

Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm's charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career, for her reputation—and for redemption.

Unwilling to live with the damage she may have caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling facts.

Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy.

Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically skilled hands of the Body Butcher.

When it appears that attorney Kate Lange's legal advice may have led to the brutal murder of the grandchild of one of her clients, Kate investigates in order to clear herself, and uncovers a conspiracy involving tissue brokering.